It's Almost Time!

My countdown clock tells me that in just 15 hours and 15 minutes, more or less, mr. lo and I will be heading toward Disney's Magical Express, the complimentary bus that will take us from the Orlando International Airport to the Beach Club Villa's at Walt Disney World. We've put our bright yellow tags on our luggage, and once we check our bags at the Manchester, NH Airport tomorrow morning, we won't have to touch them again until we're in our studio at the Villa's. This is the first of many special services that come with a Disney vacation. It puts us in Disney mode almost from the moment we step off the airplane, where we'll gladly remain until the DME takes us back again next Saturday. I plan to post daily reports of our week with photos, so check back often!

Homeward bound

It's our last day. Sad to leave, but it's nice to know this place is within a day's drive from home. We lingered a while in the village of Southwest Harbor, visiting the little library which inside, feels like being in the hold of a ship. We picked up some fresh baked bread for our folks at the Little Notch Bakery.

We took our time driving home, stopping in Camden to get lattes and admire it's pretty little harbor. We tried to get what are reported to be the best lobster rolls on the eastern seaboard in Wiscassettat at Red's Eats. After standing in line for 20 minutes and not moving, we decided to forgo Red's this time. Instead we continued on our way and later stopped at a familiar spot, BG's Boathouse in Newcastle, New Hampshire, a place we often frequented with my parents during our many summer vacations at Rye Beach.

This was a relaxed and laid-back trip - just what we wanted. We know we'll make the trek back to Acadia again because we didn't get nearly enough of it this time around.

All our photos are on Flickr.

Bikes and hikes

Today we rented bikes and toured a couple of the many carriage roads that lace the island. These broken-stone roads were designed and constructed in the early 1900's by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who later bequeathed them to the government with the stipulation that automobiles never be allowed to use them. They are intersected by several lovely stone bridges and cover nearly 50 miles. The Friends of Acadia have done a great job in recent years restoring the paths to their original condition so that now, walkers, bikers and horseback riders can enjoy the pristine forest and lakes without any motorized distractions.

We picked up our bikes in Bar Harbor and got on a neat bicycle shuttle bus that took us to the beginning of the Eagle Lake carriage road. We spent the rest of the morning riding around the lake - almost 6 miles altogether, and then taking another road up to and around the smaller Witch Hole Pond. We passed a picturesque beaver lodge and rode up some pretty long hills where I had to get off and walk, but mr. lo managed to keep going, albeit slowly. It was great fun and wonderful being able to ride so far in the peaceful woods.

After the ride, the shuttle was there to take us back to Bar Harbor where we returned the bikes and had lunch at Stewman's Lobster Pound, right on the harbor where we could watch the boats come and go, and then browsed for a while in some of the shops.


We decided that was enough of "city" life, so we lit out to find a lighthouse (no pun intended [maybe]). The Bass Harbor Light, found at the bottom of a long, steep flight of wooden stairs over outcroppings of pink granite on the water's edge, fit the bill perfectly.







Then it was off to hike the Wonderland Trail which opened up out of thick forest onto a small secluded - and utterly deserted - rocky beach. By now we were both thinking, "We could live here".
More photos are on Flickr.

Driving the Park Loop Road

Today began at Visitors Center at the entrance of Acadia National Park. We watched the introductory film, gathered up a bunch of maps and started our drive over the Loop Road that circles the park.

Our first stop provided the first of what would be a series of spectacular views - this one of Frenchman's Bay. There were two enormous cruise ships in port today - the Explorer of the Seas and the Norwegian Spirit. We could see the little tenders shuttling the passengers into Bar Harbor and back to the ships. We have couldn't asked for more perfect weather. The foliage is just beginning to show some color and the air is crisp and just a little bit cool.

We drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, at 1530 feet the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, where we had more spectacular views of inland lakes, off-shore islands and the brilliant blue sea. It was cold and windy up there, but we walked out as far as we could on the path to take in the panoramic views.

Coming off the mountain, we stopped to hike up to Bubble Rock and then took a break for lunch, tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House.




We strolled through the Wild Gardens of Acadia near the Abbey Museum, which had already closed for the day, before taking a final short hike down the Overlook trail where we shamelessly used our binoculars to spy on someone's luxurious summer home out on Schooner Head.

We stopped to check out Thunder Hole, which was silent today, and to walk on Sand Beach as the sun descended toward the ocean. We have spent this entire day traversing this one 27-mile road, just basking in the fresh air and stunning land- and seascapes.

Once back "home" in Southwest Harbor, we decided to try out Eat a Pita for dinner. This funky place had a great menu and a wonderful Pinot Gris. There'll be no problem falling asleep tonight!

See more photos on Flickr.

Down East

We spent the day meandering up the New Hampshire and Maine coasts via Route 1. After a few stops to admire the scenery, a few wrong turns, and lunch in Yarmouth at the Muddy Rudder (a disappointment since the last time we were there), we have arrived in Southwest Harbor on the "quiet side" of Mt. Desert Island. (Bar Harbor, on the eastern side, is the largest and busiest village on the island.)

Thanks to our handy AAA tour book, we were able to call ahead and find a B&B with a vacancy and are pleased with our accommodations at the Clark Point Inn. Our host Honorio recommended the Dry Dock Cafe for dinner. It was a short walk from the B&B to the village where we relaxed and had a lovely meal. Aside from lobster, blueberries are the most ubiquitous food on the menues around here, so I had to finish off my meal with warm blueberry crisp and ice cream, which I shared with mr. lo, and even then we weren't able to finish it. Tomorrow we'll explore Acadia!

Heading North

After a quiet summer at home, mr.lo and I will be heading north in the Jeep next week to check out Acadia National Park and the surrounding area. Look for photos here after we get back. I'm not sure well be able to find Internet access too readily, so I'm going to take a deep breath and leave my laptop at home (I think). It won't be easy, particularly since, according to the How Addicted to Blogging Are You? quiz:

67%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

How about you??

The Long Road Home

The Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast in New Holland, PA turned out to be a real find. Carl, the owner, is an accomplished chef. He prepared a breakfast sufficient for a houseful of guests even though we were the only ones. Just for starts, there was cereal and assorted fruits and nuts for toppings, the usual beverages, fruit salad, fresh grapefruit, and banana nut bread. Carl also made poached pears with a warm pecan sauce, an apricot crisp, bacon, and ham and cheese omelets. The coffee was great. Not only did he serve up this delicious spread, he sat and chatted with us while we ate and made suggestions about how we could spend our day in Lancaster County.

The Harvest Moon is a lovely old brick home, probably built around the 1940’s, and faithfully furnished and decorated in keeping with that period. Carl and his wife have collected all sorts of knickknacks, folk art, toys, and household items – like an old Singer sewing machine, a Victrola, a tricycle, a radio, and a typewriter – that would have been found in homes back then, and scattered them about as if the house’s original occupants still lived there. Not only that, he had some 40's big band music playing in the dining room while we ate. He said that part of successfully operating a B&B is appealing to all of the senses. He has certainly done a great job.

After lingering over breakfast and good conversation, we said goodbye to Carl and followed his advice to explore the back roads of the area. We drove by farm after farm and field after field, and saw Amish people outside working in their gardens and yards, hanging out the laundry, and driving down the roads in their horse drawn carriages. We did venture out to the main road once in order to visit the Lancaster County Visitor’s Center but it was so commercial and, we thought, exploitative, that it made us sad and a little angry, so we went right back to the countryside. We stopped at a picturesque folk art place that had a lot of items nicely displayed and later found a farm where they were selling quilts and other items they had made.

Now, our road trip over, we are creeping along in heavy traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike, not sure what is causing the slowdown. We hope the pace picks up soon because it is a long ride home even without any holdups.

We have enjoyed our little road trip in Bugle1 and learned some things: remember to bring binoculars, hats, walking sticks and a backpack for hiking; pack a data cable for places where there is broadband but no wi-fi; get a Mass. Turnpike FastLane transponder for the Jeep, since many states have reciprocal agreements; avoid planning trips that require extensive travel on major highways, and don’t plan a travel day through a metropolitan area on a Friday (duh!). This experience has reinforced our preferred practice of flying somewhere and then renting a car to tour the local sites. We have another trip in the Jeep tentatively planned for late summer or early fall to Acadia National Park in Maine, and we’re even debating about renting a pop-up trailer to see how we like camping out – although I think we may talk each other out of that pretty easily in favor of a nice hotel or B&B.

All of our photos have been uploaded to Flickr. That’s it for the PA-VA-PA road trip. Thanks for reading!

From the Mountains to the Valley - and Below

Our last day at the Big Meadow Lodge. We climbed a short trail behind the lodge to a summit overlooking the Shenandoah Valley, about 3700 feet below, and then started our drive toward the Valley. We stopped to hike down to Dark Hollow Falls, about a mile and a quarter round trip - the return trip being uphill all the way. Sufficiently exercised, we bought a few souveniers at the Skyland Lodge and went on our way. We were soon stopped, however, because a motorcyclist has crashed into the stone retaining wall a little further down the road. First we had to wait for the wreck to be cleared off the road and then waited again near the park exit below for the Life Flight helicopter to take the victim away. We hope he makes a speedy recovery from what must have been a very frightening experience.

Once in the valley town of Luray , we took a tour of the Luray Caverns, "the largest caverns in the eastern United States". Our trek below ground was fascinating.

Our objective today was the Harvest Moon B&B in New Holland, PA. We figured it would be a 4 to 5 hour drive - and it would have been if we hadn't encountered torrential rains that forced us to stop twice - once in Carlisle, PA where it rained so long and hard that the road flooded, and again shortly after that on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was pouring so hard that you simply couldn't see well enough to drive. We had to wait about a half an hour both times before the rain slowed down enough to allow us to continue. We finally made it here to our B&B around 9:30 pm, 6 hours after leaving Luray Caverns. We are in a lovely Victorian home and we are the only guests. The owner is originally from Gloucester. We plan to tour the back roads of Lancaster County before heading for home tomorrow.

Ranger Walks in Shenandoah National Park

Day two without Internet access – and we don’t even have a cell phone signal! Has the world stopped yet? It seems strange, but I am somehow surviving. I’m sure there’ll be a ton of email messages waiting whenever we can reconnect. That may be tomorrow when we get to our B&B in Lancaster County, PA, but maybe not. These posts may all have to wait until we’re back in Lunenburg.

The weather couldn’t have been better on this trip. Today it’s sunny and about 70 – perfect for being outdoors. We started with breakfast at the lodge. It is always so pleasant to sit in a park lodge’s cavernous dining room in front of a giant stone fireplace, gazing out at a beautiful view – this one being the green foothills and valley below and white puffy clouds in the bright blue sky overhead. The guests at park lodges always appear casual and relaxed. There is a feeling of camaraderie, sort of like being at summer camp, and nobody fusses about what they’re wearing or seems to be in a rush. We noticed that most of the people here at Big Meadow Lodge are couples our age or older, with a few younger couples sprinkled in. There are practically no children, although a couple on our morning ranger walk had a baby in a stroller and there was a very sweet little girl with our Meadow Walk group this afternoon.

I was intrigued by the title of this morning’s walk – The Story of the Limberlost. I read the book, Girl of the Limberlost, when I was probably 11 or 12 and something about that story captivated me so that I still remember parts of it vividly. I found out today that the Limberlost Trail here at Shenandoah is named after the wooded and marshy part of Indiana in which that book was set. On our walk, Ranger John gave us some of the history of the creation of this park and contrasted the types plants and trees that where found here then and now. The chestnuts that were originally here have all succumbed to a blight, and now the balsams have fallen to the adelphid, with the ones remaining cut down a few years ago to prevent this insect’s damage from spreading. Because of this, the area we walked through is pretty desolate with fallen trees, especially evident because the others are just beginning to leaf out. This morning’s walk was a compelling lesson about the devastating impact non-native species can have on native plants and trees.

This afternoon we walked through the Big Meadow. No one is sure exactly why this open meadow is here and has not become covered with shrubs and trees. Mara, our ranger, pointed out many tiny wildflowers that are just beginning to show themselves. We saw some deer grazing nearby – and also saw one almost hit by a car passing by too fast on Skyline Drive. Deer are abundant here and don’t seem at all intimidated by people or cars. We visited the site of the home of a family who once lived here. All that remains now is the stone foundation. Around 400 families who lived here when the area became a national park were all bought out by the federal government in the 1930s, many against their will. It’s not hard to imagine how sad it must have been for those families to have to leave this beautiful place and the lives they had made here.

Tomorrow we’ll head to north Lancaster County, stopping at the Luray Caverns on our way out of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

From Independence Hall to the Big Meadow Lodge

We started the day in the historic city of Philadelphia and ended it at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We woke up in our elegant room at the Morris House Hotel and went downstairs for breakfast in front of the fireplace in the book-lined dining room. After we checked out and stowed our luggage in the Jeep, we walked over to Independence Park to get our free tickets for the tour of Independence Hall. It was moving to know we were standing in the same buildings and walking the same brick-paved paths as Benjamin Franklin, John and Sam Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. We checked out the Liberty Bell, now enshrined in a building with tighter security than an international airport. The highlight of our walk back in time, for me, was our horse-and-buggy tour around the Independence Park and Society Hill. Our guide pointed out the historical and architectural features of many of the public buildings and private homes in this area, embellishing her narration with stories of the people who built and occupied them. I was delighted with her story about 4’11” James Madison and the 6-foot tall lady he courted and later married, named Dolly.

After the obligatory lunch of Philly Cheese Steaks at Benny's Place on Market Street, we hopped in Bugle1 and hit the road. Five and a half hours later, we checked into the Big Meadow Lodge at Shenandoah National Park. The drive down wasn't fun. It was heavy going most of the way and we didn't quite clear the Beltway in time to avoid the beginning of rush hour, so it was pretty bogged down from there until we finally left Rt. 66 in Virginia. We did reach Shenandoah before dark, so we were able to enjoy many breathtaking vistas as we ascended Skyline Drive. Our room has a balcony overlooking the valley. We had a delicious meal in the lodge's dining room while watching the sun go down behind the Blue Ridge and we're looking forward to a couple of ranger-lead walks tomorrow.

Philadelphia

We are staying at the Morris House Hotel near Independance Square. We got here too late today to get into any of the historic sites, but we walked around and took some photos and had a good dinner. Tomorrow we'll do some sightseeing before we head down the road to Shenandoah National Park.

Heading south in Bugle1

Tomorrow we leave for our road trip in mr. lo's new Jeep to Shenandoah National Park. We'll stop partway down in Philadelphia tomorrow night and hope to see a few sights before we complete the trip to Big Meadow Lodge on Tuesday. I'll post when Internet access is available and add photos to Flickr where you can see the full-sized photos and even run them in a slide show if you want.

Time to Catch Up

It has been way too long since I last posted anything on this blog - months in fact - so that might lead you to believe that I haven't been doing much of anything. Quite the contrary! Since my life revolves around school libraries, that's pretty much what's been keeping me hopping. I've been settling into my office - the World Headquarters of the Massachusetts School Library Association - in what used to be our son's bedroom - and in between times, bopping all over the country.

My first trip - way back in January - was to the big kahuna of all library meetings - the American Library Association's Mid-Winter Meeting. This year it was in Seattle. I traveled there with my MSLA buddies Ann and Sandy. We went to many meetings, had time to tour around the city a little:







down to the Pike Place Market a couple of times...








to the opening of a new sculpture park down by the waterfront...








and up to the top of the Space Needle.












I got to check out Seattle's amazing new and very funky Public Library, too. We had fun, as we always do, dining courtesy of some of the library vendors (we love those ProQuest dinners!) and scoffing up as many freebies as we could carry home from the gigantic exhibit hall.

Then in March and April I had three separate trips to visit finalists for the prestigious National School Library Media Program of the Year Award. Our committee of five visited schools in Indiana, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. I don't have any photos because the identity of the finalists must be kept secret until the winners are announced, but if you'd like to know more about the award, you can read my account of my experience winning in 2004 on my website (Yes, I admit it - I'm bragging!) Although each trip lasted just three days, it was fun to get a glimpse of states I had never visited before.

I promise you'll soon see a little more activity on this blog. mr. lo and I are getting ready to go on a road trip in his new Jeep Wrangler in a couple of weeks. We'll drive to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia via Philadelphia for a night on the way down and Pennsylvania Dutch country on the way back. There'll be lots of photos of that trip, for sure! Then in late June, I'm off to another library conference - this time to the really, really big one - the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. There are a few trips - both for business and pleasure coming up in the fall and winter, but I'll save the details about those for later.

Is This Me?

Accurate or not? You can tell me - I can take it!

Your Birthdate: August 18

You are a cohesive force - able to bring many people together for a common cause. You tend to excel in work situations, but you also facilitate a lot of social gatherings too. Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others. You also keep your powerful emotions in check - you know when to emote and when to repress. Your strength: Emotional maturity beyond your years Your weakness: Wearing yourself down with too many responsibilities Your power color: Crimson red Your power symbol: Snowflake Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

My Word Cloud

A word cloud is a graphic representation of the words most frequently found on a web site. Us librarians would call them keywords. I think mine gives a good representation of what my blog is all about - except - wait a minute! How come the world "old" is so prominent??? Hmmm...

My Life, Rated

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.7
Mind:	7
Body:	6.1
Spirit:	6.4
Friends/Family:	5.9
Love:	7.3
Finance:	9.4
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I took the Rate Your Life quiz today and the results are surprisingly not too far off:

Life: Your life score is reasonably high. This means that you are on a good path. Continue doing what is working and set about to improve in areas which continue to lag. Do this starting today and you will begin to reap the benefits immediately.

Mind: Your mind score is not bad, but could be improved upon. Your mental health is not weak, but you are not achieving full mental clarity and function. Learn how to unclutter your mind. Keep learning, keep improving, continue moving forward.

Body: Your body score is fairly average, which means there is room for improvement. Keep a focus on your physical health. Protect your body as it is your most valuable physical asset. Nutrition, stress reduction, and exercise are key.

Spirit: Your spirit score leaves room for improvement. Consider making a concerted effort to redefine your attitudes and focus your beliefs. Boosting your spirit will lead to greater life satisfaction.

Friends/Family: Your friends and family score is not bad but can be improved. Maintain your current social net, while you try to expand it. Try new things and form new friendships. You will be rewarded greatly.

Love: Your love score is in good shape, meaning that things are going well. Do all you can to maintain it, and continue to grow and move ahead.

Finance: Your financial score is impressive. You seem to be doing everything right in this area, so keep up what you're doing. Do not fall into common traps and continue planning for long-term stability.

And compared to other 5748 people who took the quiz, I am above average in all categories. So thus validated by the experts at monkeyquiz.com, I can now go on with my life.

Christmas in the Real World

Here are all the 2006 Christmas photos.
My Dad's cousins' families have celebrated Christmas together every year for almost 60 years. It all started at maiden Great Aunts Natalie (us children called her Nathy) and Doris' house one Christmas Eve sometime in the early 1950s and continued there until they were too old to cope. Then Dad's cousins Grover, Wilbur, Floyd Barney and our family started taking turns hosting Christmas Eve until the torch was passed to my generation in the 80s when the four oldest girl-cousins, Vera Anne, Marie, Beth and I were grown up with our own houses. Sometime along the way we switched from Christmas Eve to a week-end day before Christmas, but the formula hasn't varied much otherwise: we have lots of food, and most of us bring the same dishes every time - mine is a fruit compote - do a Yankee Swap, and take family photos.


This year it was Vera Anne's turn to host the party at her house in Harvard. Her two boys, Tom and Joe, hadn't made it home from California yet. Only Beth's girls, Samantha and Andrea, and Michael and Jan's son Michael Robert, were there from the youngest generation. Our kids don't really know each other well and are scattered all around, so most of them don't regularly make it to the party - except for Michael Robert, who is in 7th grade and comes with his parents. James hasn't made an appearance at this gathering since his freshman year of college, I think. Not with us this year were Vera Anne's sister Ellen who lives near Seattle. Her brother Dan, who lives near Chicago, did make it, but not their mother Vera, who spends winters in Florida. Stanley and his son Patrick are both on the Lunenburg police force and had to work, and Stan and Susie's daugther Stephanie was away. Of our parents' generation, only my parents, Therese (Wilbur's widow), and Floyd (and Vera in Florida) are still with us. Anyway, it is a celebration still held dear by us girls, and none of us wants to be the one to put an end this long-held tradition.

Here in Lunenburg our Christmas celebration officially started with the beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church. I sang in the choir and Rick played some descants on his trumpet.

At our house, the holdiay was particularly special this year because James brought along his girlfriend Leonora. Her excitement to be celebrating Christmas was contagious. Being Jewish, it's something she has never had the opportunity to do. We loved having her and James with us for three days.

All the parents and my brother Rick were here as always for Christmas dinner and this year we had a Yankee Swap so Leonora could see how that works. This is the 2nd year we have forgone a gift exchange with the grandparents. None of us really need anything, and with our parents aging, finding the right gifts had become more and more difficult and somewhat of a dreaded chore, so last year we all agreed to remove that source of stress from our Christmas observance. It felt a little weird the first time, but we all agreed it was a relief that contributed much to our enjoyment of the holdiay and that we would continue this unconventional practice.

I cooked the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner. We had lots of pies for dessert. Everything was delicious and it was fun for me to orchestrate.

We realize how fortunate we are after 34 years of marriage to have celebrated every single Christmas with both sets of parents and for James to have been able to enjoy being with all of his grandparents for this special holiday every year of his life. We have missed having Rick's sister Linda and her husband Craig with us since they relocated to the Seattle area.

Here are all the 2006 Christmas photos.

Final thoughts

It was cold today - mid-40s. We wore our warm jackets over to Olivia's for breakfast. This was travel day, so I had plenty of time to write my final thoughts about our trip while waiting for the Magical Express bus to pick us up and take us to the airport for our flight home.


Old Key West
This is a lovely resort and I can see why many people prefer it over some of the newer DVC resorts. It is quiet and large enough so that you aren't aware of how many people are here. The setting and architecture are casual and comfortable. Our studio was nice, but the kitchenette was tiny compared to the ones at the Beach Club and Boardwalk, and I prefer having a couch rather than two beds. Old Key West is a very appealing place, however we both agree that we prefer the Beach Club and the Boardwalk for their proximity to both Epcot and MGM. Since we tend to visit Epcot almost every day, it's really nice to be able to just walk over there whenever we want and not have to drive and park, or walk all the way out to buses or the monorail at the front of the park with a mob of people after IllumiNations. There is also easy access from the Epcot resorts to the monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom - and it's such a nice ride - and Friendship boats for leisurely rides between the resorts, Epcot and MGM. For us, that location is ideal and you don't need a car at all.

10-day stay
This was our longest stay at Walt Disney World and it was really nice to have more time here. Although there are still some things we didn't do, we had time to do all that we really wanted and to repeat our favorites. There was no pressure to rush and cram everything in. We did slow down somewhat on this trip, but not as much as I had thought we would. It seemed that as we got closer to the end of our stay we pushed ourselves to do more in the final days. I won't say we're not tired, but we are leaving less so than on other trips.

Renting vs. owning DVC points
We think that for us, renting points from a DVC member is the best deal. We get to stay in a luxury resort for half the price (or less) than we would pay if we rented the same accommodations from Disney. Although the idea of DVC membership is appealing to me, the initial investment and annual membership fee would take us many trips to recoup. Since we don't normally visit more than once a year and we don't have other family members who are interested in vacationing at Walt Disney World now or in the future, there is little to justify this kind of investment. As long as we are able to rent from a DVC member, we feel we are getting a real bargain on quality vacation accommodations.

Crocs
I had read that many people find Crocs extremely comfortable for extensive walking, and they are right. I alternated wearing Crocs and sneakers, and I was surprised to find the Crocs more comfortable. My feet weren't at all tired at the end of the day as they usually are. I did prefer wearing the Crocs with socks though. I have a very high instep and there is one spot on the top of my right foot where the Croc rubbed a little, but I put a band-aid on and it was fine. Other than that, these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. They are very cushioned and my feet didn't sweat or stick at all when I wore them without socks. I saw many people, both men and women, and also children, wearing them in all the colors of the rainbow. Highly recommended!

Renting a car
I really liked having a car. We could come and go anywhere on a whim and never had to wait in line or stand on a crowded bus. Since Old Key West is rather remote, I think we saved a lot of time by having a car. It is very easy to navigate around Walt Disney World. There is abundant signage. We stopped using a map and just followed the signs and never had any problems finding anything. It was also nice to be able to get to the grocery store and Wal-Mart to stock up when we first arrived. The best idea I had was to pick up the rental car at the Doubletree on Hotel Plaza Boulevard instead of at the airport. We saved money and eliminated the stress of driving in and out of the airport, and were able to take advantage of the Disney Magical Express' free airport transportation and luggage service.

Disney's Magical Express
This is one of the best deals at Walt Disney World. Once you check your luggage upon departure from your home airport you don't see it again until you get to your hotel room - and you have no worries about driving from the airport to your hotel, and no expense of having a car or shuttle take you there either. This is why we chose to pick up our rental car at the Doubletree instead of the airport and we would do it this way again if we thought we wanted to have a car.

Visiting during the holidays
Disney sure does up Christmas in a big way. I'm not sure people who don't celebrate Christmas would be comfortable here at this time of year. Christmas is everywhere. Everything is decorated - beautifully. Christmas music is playing constantly everywhere you go. All the entertainment is centered around this holiday. There are nods to other traditions, but they are cursory. Christmas is definitely the thing here. The lights, the music, the shows - after a while I have to admit it was almost too much Christmas, even for me. I'm glad we came to see it and we did enjoy it, but I'm not sure I would want to be here again during the holiday season. I'm kind of Christmas-ed out at this point

Crowds
Crowds were definitely lighter than we have experienced on previous trips during February and April school vacation weeks, but not as light as I had hoped they would be. We were told that a couple of years ago attendance was much lighter at this time of year. More people are taking advantage of the lighter crowds, especially since the advent of the dining plan. We saw an awful lot of kids who were obviously taken out of school to be here now.

Opting not to do the Disney Dining Plan
For $38.99/adult, you get 1 meal in a sit-down restaurant, 1 counter-service meal, and 1 snack per day. Table service restaurants require reservations made months in advance to ensure you get in. We didn't think we would eat this much food and we were right. We didn't even eat 1 meal every day at a table service restaurant, and we didn't want to commit to being in the vicinity of any particular restaurant at any given time. We like to go with the flow and eat how we want when we're ready to eat. I can see that on the dining plan, there is the potential for your entire vacation to revolve around eating. I also understand why people say they eat too much - I think we would feel pressured to get our money's worth by eating everything allowed on the plan. We rarely have an appetizer, entree AND a dessert when we eat in a restaurant, but all that is included in the plan. A quick glance at our bill this morning confirmed our instincts - we spent less than $38 apiece/day on food this trip. I wonder how long Disney will keep this plan going. It is making it impossible to get a same day reservation, and forget about just walking up to a restaurant and getting in.

WDW for adults
It's so much more fun to be here without kids, I'm not sure why anyone brings them! Seriously, we had lots of fun when we brought our son along when he was between 9 and 13 years old, but since we've been visiting as a couple, we can see how stressful it is for parents with very little kids - especially if they have more than one. We never had to navigate with a stroller or keep more than one child happy. I really don't know how they do it and manage to have any fun. We saw lots of middle-aged to elderly couples here and they all looked like they were having as much fun as we were.

Top 10 highlights (in no particular order)
1. Candlelight Processional
2. Yuletide Fantasy Tour
3. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, with Let Their Be Peace on Earth added for the holidays
4. Christmas Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom
5. Our perfect Disney Day at the Magic Kingdom
6. Dinner at Teppanyaki in Japan
7. Evenings at Epcot strolling around the World Showcase
8. Storytellers in the World Showcase
9. Seeing Casino Royale at the AMC Theater
10. Being at Walt Disney World at Christmas

Next trip
Of course there'll be a next trip! We're thinking of coming in January 2008 and staying at either the Boardwalk or the Beach Club. Once we're home for a while we'll make a definite decision. Since crowds are reportedly quite light in January, we'd like to try coming then and see how it compares to December, February and April. Although we enjoyed being here for all the Christmas festivities, it's not something we feel we need to do again, at least for a few years. Leaving is bitter-sweet. No matter how long we stay, I could always stay longer, but it's nice to know we'll be back and that there will always be something new to see and do here.